Blood Lines
by The Constant Wanderer
Summary: The typical, Bella leaves Forks without the Cullens knowing her true identity, Damon being her father and all that. Oh, well. We'll see how this one goes.
1. Chapter 1

**Blood Lines**

**A/N:  
**

I absolutely adore Damon and Bella pairings. Wether portrayed as lovers, buddies, comrades or like how I used them here, father-daughter relationship.  
And... yeah. Read, I guess.

**All recognizable characters, settings, etc. belongs solely to their respective authors - though they might not appreciate or find it amusing that I mess with their literary prowess. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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_**Prologue**_** (Also kind of chapter-ish, though)****  
**

I stood from the doorway of my room, staring the almost bare exterior with passive eyes; memories of my pretentious life flashing before me. Charlie, Forks High School, some of the townsfolk, La Push, Jacob Black and of course...

I wiped the sudden tears that ran down my cheeks. _No._ I am not going to cry for them again. I swore that this was the last time that I moped for the Cullens. It was pathetic. This was not me.

Now, this might get pretty odd. You see, when I said that this was _not me_, I meant it literally. Bella Swan was all faux. Dull human with brown eyes and matching brown tresses? Daughter of Chief Swan that moved from Arizona? Please.

I tried, really. You know, to feel human. To feel normal. And realizing how _they_ messed up everything, it angered me to no end. I was miserable that they left, but it was because of my issues. I quite have some abandonment issues, you see. When I get attached to someone, it's awfully hard for me to let go. But after a lot of depressing days of coping, - if you can actually call it coping – I slowly regained my senses and I figured that it was time to move on. The Cullens would be buried at the back part of my mind as a bad memory that by time I would hopefully forget.

Ah, hell. Who am I kidding? The downsides of being a vampire are their damned photographic memory.

You heard that right. I myself is a _de mortius_. But how could I look like a human and act human, you ask? Well, there is two kinds of vampires; the Cold Ones like a particular family I knew once, (rolls eyes) and the Night Walkers. That's me.

You already know what Cold ones are and what they look like. Ghost white complexion, rock hard skin that glitters in the sunlight, eyes that have colours depending on their diet – crimson when they feed off humans and amber when they feed from animals. They can't sleep, they don't burn in the sun, they have enhanced senses and superior strength, and some can have talents that they bring from their human lives. Oh, and the shape shifters are their natural enemy.

Night walkers on the other hand, are pretty much the description of a traditional vampire. Burns in the sunlight, can be killed by a stake, drinks blood (that's a given) and have fangs. But even with the overrated downsides, we are far more powerful than the Cold Ones. We might be even in strength and maybe just a bit faster in speed, we might not be that unbreakable as them, but we have the supremacy to do things they cannot.

Night walkers have the power of compulsion. We can compel humans and even vampires to submission. We can transform and shape shift, – with enough practice, that is – are naturally telepathic, can drink from humans without losing control and kill them, and some of us can control the weather if one's powerful enough. And the older we are, the stronger.

Also, we have human characteristics. We can eat human food and actually taste it; but it provides no nutrition for us and does not affect our physical features. We can sleep. We sweat and we can cry. We have blood in our system and we have a heartbeat. That makes us easier to blend in with humans. The times that we would look _not_ normal though, is when our fangs elongate and our eyes turn red with blackened veins popping out; that happens when we're feeding or enraged.

And the reason why I can walk in the sun is because I have this specialized ring that protects me. It's made by a witch.

Yeah, witches are true too. So are real werewolves. But we'll get to that later.

Obviously, The Cullens had no idea that I am one. They believe that I am merely human; one that they can play around with. And foolish as I was, I let them. Without ripping them to shreds and making them suffer hell when they got tired and left.

But I know who will. The person I trusted the most. The one that I left before I went here to Forks. The one I know who will always be there for me to love and accept me irrevocably and unconditionally. The one that would probably give me a hard time for suddenly disappearing off without a trace because of a fight that we never had a chance to talk about. And the one I called to pick me up any moment now.

I was leaving. I was going to start anew. This – this..._hoax_ that I'm living up will get me nowhere. I was going back. I'm decided.

It might have been an hour or longer when I heard some commotion downstairs. After a minute or two, Charlie called for me.

"Isabella? You're father is here!"

_Daddy._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **

Thank you for the reviews. I appreciate them, truly.

** Lady Mackenzie Luv: **Since you had mentioned, I'll check over your stories soon. Though I am deeply flattered you think so highly about this... _thing._ *quirks eyebrows* Apologies if your expectations would become moot as the story goes on.

** MarionV: **Well, you'll just have to find out.

I do every chapter on a whim; meaning I don't exactly plan on the plot or anything. It might be a bit of a bad idea since, a.) I'm a professional procrastinator, b.) My mood changes as fast as light travels, and c.) I also do tend to get writer's block. Not always, but close. So what I'm kind of trying to say is, if I get too long to update, I'm not dead yet.

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**Chapter 1**

_**Elena POV**_

"Damon's acting pretty odd today," Tyler commented out of the blue.

We were currently 'hanging out' – as they all so-called whatever we were doing – at the usual; _Mystic Grill_. Having rare moments where everything was, not exactly at peace, although no one needed to be on high alert watching their backs at all times. Caroline had suggested that we take a breather from all that's happening and simply lay back and seize the moment. Everyone was all-too-willing to go with the idea, seeing it as a form of distraction from the past tension formed– not that I was opposed to said plan. A moment of peace and normality amidst of all the supernatural things going on is what we need.

"Hmm," Stefan agreed.

Bonnie scoffed, "I think that's a given."

Tyler rolled his eyes and said, "_Unusually_ odd then." His eyes flickered towards the bar where the talked-about Salvatore currently sat. "I mean, he's been busy over the phone since morning. I expected that he'd be the first one to act all chill or what."

He was right. Even if he was nursing a glass of bourbon and had his typical uninterested look, Damon seemed on edge. His jaw was clenched too tight, his brows furrowed in... worry? I glanced at Stefan who had a thoughtful look on his face and also watching his brother with concern. Did he know what's got Damon all upset?

"What's happening?" I whispered to him. I sent him a curious look but he just shook his head.

I shrugged and continued to observe.

I watched in fascination as Damon's face went into a series of expressions, some of it strange and unreadable. My eyes widened though, when his appearance turned soft - and, dare I say, loving? He had a hint of a smile and had a look of pure contentment that shocked me.

_What?_

After a few minutes, he snapped his phone shut and the blissful look he wore left his face quickly, but his eyes still held an undercurrent hint of joy in them that proved that I wasn't simply imagining things. He raised his gaze to meet Stefan's and they looked like they were having some sort of silent conversation with their eyes. Damon's lips moved quickly and Stefan nodded.

"What was that?" Again, I asked him. My voice showing my burning curiosity.

Stefan gave me a grin, his eyes dancing with delight. "Damon seems to be... Having one of the best days of his life."

Well that was unexpected.

"I don't know what to say?"

He laughed and shook his head once more. "You'll know it soon enough."

I glanced around the table and also became aware of the same confused looks they were all sporting.

"He said, 'I love you' at the end. What was _that_?" Caroline butted in.

_I love you? Damon?_ That was odd. Extremely odd.

Alaric, Jeremy, Bonnie and almost everyone raised their eyebrows in interest. Stefan merely gave out a chuckle but didn't say anything more.

"Oh my God. Is it another one of his girls?" Bonnie grounded out, but added teasingly, "Is he getting serious with one of them?"

"One of his girls?" Stefan asked amusingly. "Well, you could say that."

Alaric blurted out, "Seriously?"

"Now, now, Ric." Damon's voice drawled out behind me, making me jump as I was too interested in finding more information about this mysterious girl Damon seemed to care about, God forbid. "It's not nice to talk about other people's business, isn't it?"

Caroline smirked. "Afraid that we'd find the soft side of Damon Salvatore?"

"This is still too weird," Jeremy muttered. "I mean, him?"

Damon sighed dramatically, leaning on the edge of the counter. "Yes, Jeremy. A soft side in Damon Salvatore. Who knew?" He rolled his eyes and took a drink. "Well, you could all let your little imaginations run wild about my _very_ interesting love-life and I'll just borrow Stefan over here..."

Stefan kissed my forehead and stood up, following Damon as he headed outside.

After a moment of silence, Jeremy sighed. "I still don't believe it."

"You don't know, Jer. Maybe he's just messing around or something," Tyler said, taking a bite off his burger.

"I don't think so," I mumbled contemplatively. "His expression, his face... It seemed real." And it was. I _think _it was.

"Well, it's Damon we're talking about here. That's kind of hard to grasp." Caroline mused out loud. "Don Juan lady killer getting serious?"

"And we would know a lot earlier if that was the case. I mean, does he look like the kind of person that do long distance relationships?" Bonnie asked rhetorically.

"It's still priceless, hearing The Great Damon Salvatore utter the L-word," Alaric snorted.

I shook my head, still wondering about the girl that made Damon look so... happy. Was she someone I've met before? One of his... lady friends that he'd gotten serious with? Or maybe there was a chance that he did try the long-distance relationship - I quickly erased that thought. Damon is not the kind of person that doesn't do physically intimate stuff. So...

I sighed. Well, that had been definitely a distraction.

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**I apologize for being a bit fast-paced. My mind's a bit flighty tonight. I'll do better next time. Maybe. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

Again, thank you for the reviews.

** Lady Mackenzie Luv:** Oh, hey. I'm from the Philippines too.

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**Chapter 2  
**_**  
Damon's POV**_

She called. After all those years gone by, she finally called.

A long time I've waited; patience was never one of my specialties – I would've been the first one to take the initiative to make an action, to make the call. _To make amends_. Usually.

But I resisted. I refused to give into the constant urge to just track her down and end whatever unresolved predicament between us . I resisted, since I know her and I know that she needed the space and time to think. Maybe a little respite from good ol' me. She would probably just retaliate if I didn't. And that will not create any progress with said problem. We get into fights – little bickering and such. Just disagreements, though, not anything serious. Unlike the current crisis at hand.

I missed her, my little figlia. Not a day went by where her face did not cross my mind. Her voice resonates the edges of my thoughts, her smile, her playful antics and even that hot temper she unmistakably gotten from me. I sometimes find myself reminiscing about the old days, getting lost in memories of the times when it was only her and I. When those beautiful baby blue doe eyes would gaze up to me. When I would hum her to sleep and tuck her to bed every night when she was little. When she would make me those little flower wreaths and place it on top of my head just to drive me mad. And as she grew older, my pride of her being my daughter rose along. And so did her tricks and follies.

Albeit I was dying to find out the reason behind that call. Not to be taken wrongly, but she did sound peculiarly cheerless over the conversation; she sounded like she needed me badly. There was something going on. And determined and curious as I am, I plan to figure it out when we meet.

_-Earlier this Morning-_

_I was rudely awaken by the loud shrill of my phone. Groaning, I begrudgingly reached for it on top of the drawer. I was about to hit the end button, expecting it to be Ric or anyone particularly unimportant, when her name flashed on the screen. _

_Suffice to say, I became more awake than I had ever been in the morning. My body left no trace of drowsiness as it hummed with excitement and surprise. I stood up quickly, clutching the phone with my thumb hovering the green key and took a deep breath as I answered the call. _

_I waited for her to be the first to talk; smiling suddenly when I heard the voice I had desperately missed. _

"_D-daddy?" She hesitantly stuttered. _

_I chuckled and sighed happily. "Oh, sweetheart. I thought that you would never call."_

"_I'm-.. I'm sorry," she mumbled. "It's just.. I was just.. It's not that-"_

"_Baby, it's okay," I said softly, seeing that she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. "I'm just glad that you finally called."_

_A moment of silence passed by but I waited patiently for her to speak. _

"_Can I stay there with you?" She asked all of a sudden._

_My heart soared with her question. "Of course, little girl. I would want nothing more," I let out a slight chuckle. "I miss you."_

"_I miss you too, Daddy." She sniffed. "I'm sorry. For leaving and all." _

"_Shh. We'll talk about it when you.." I paused. "Do you want me to pick you up? I could go there, say maybe... Whenever you want me."_

_She giggled. "Really?" _

"_Yep. Say the word, and I'll be there." I smirked. _

"_Tomorrow? Can you be here tomorrow?" I was somewhat surprised with that, not that I was complaining. _

"_What's with the sudden rush?" I teased anyway. "Did you miss me that much?"_

_She took a ragged breath and didn't answer right away, making me worry. Had something happened to her? Is that why she wanted me to be there immediately?_

"_Whatever that floats your boat, Daddy." She weakly teased back. It sounded forced. _

"_Baby, is everything alright?" I asked, concerned. _

"_Yes," she hastily said. Then she gave out a laugh. "You said I'll just say when, so.." _

"_Isabella.."_

"_Not now, please?" She begged. Something was definitely up. _

_I sighed but relented nonetheless. "Okay, okay." _

"_So, tomorrow?" _

"_Yes. I'll be there bright and early morning at your doorstep, princess." I mocked, getting excited at the prospect of getting to see my daughter once again. But I backpedalled, realizing something. "Wait. Where did you say you were staying at again?"_

"_I didn't." Again, she giggled. "Well for your information, daddy, I'm at Forks. You know that small place in Washington?"_

_I scoffed, crinkling my nose. "Of all the places you could go, you pick that dreary, lifeless place? Please don't tell me you've gone all teenager and went, what do they call it? Emo?" _

"_No. Duh," I can imagine her rolling her eyes. "It just happen to be... Yeah, I don't know either."_

_I was about to snark something out again when she cut me, "No! Wait, I know. Charlie's here." Charlie? As in, Charlie Swan? "Well, 'snot the first reason why I stayed here but I figured that it might not be a bad idea."_

_I rolled my eyes. _

_Faintly, I heard voices downstairs. I remembered that Blondie planned some small 'get-together' at the Grill. Someone knocked at the door and I heard Saint Stefan's voice._

"_Damon? Are you coming with?" _

_Overhearing Stefan's voice, Bella excitedly whisper. "Is that uncle Stefan? Oh my God, don't tell him yet! I wanna surprise him!"_

_I smirked. Replying her with a loud voice, "Of course, Isabella. I won't tell Stefan anything."_

_Faster than I could blink, Stefan opened the door with wide eyes. "Isabella?" He called out as he neared over._

"_Ugh, Dad!" She groaned, but added cheerfully. "Hey, uncle Steffie!"_

_The high pitch of her voice made me cringe. "Ow."_

"_Serves you right," she muttered. "Oh, dad, uncle Stefan, can I call you back later? I need to do some things first."_

"_Okay, sweetheart. But I'd call you later." I said at the same time my brother also replied, "Of course, Bella."_

_When the line went dead, Stefan bombarded me with questions._

"_When did she call? What happened? Where was she?" _

_I gave him an exasperated look while heading towards the bathroom, placing the phone on top of the desk table. "Geez, ask much?" I deadpanned. "She called this morning, fyi. Currently residing at gloomy town, Forks. Other questions would be further tackled and answered later. Or tomorrow."_

_I didn't give him a chance to answer as I shut the door. Still smiling with the thought of my Isabella. _

_-End-_

I did call again, as I said I would, when we reached the Grill. I asked questions, drilled her to tell me stuff about her life there, - as much as you can call it living. That's Forks for you – and whatever trivial things we could talk about. We still haven't dwelled on the elephant in the room, but that's fine. I would rather have it face-to-face rather than over the phone.

"You're uncle Stefan over here has this Scooby Gang that you've totally got to meet," I said with a fake enthusiastic voice. Bella chuckled, snorting at the end.

"Scooby gang?" She said, amusement colouring her voice. "And you're, what, part of that?"

I sniffed but sighed dramatically. "Somebody has to look out for him. I'm being a good brother."

"And what do you think they're reaction would be if they find out that said brother is also a father? I'm guessing that you haven't told them about me yet?"

I grimaced. "They would flip."

"Yes, and I'm adorable. That's double flip."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Yes, of course. That too."

"Well, you should be enjoying the little time your reputation will still withstand. Let's just make them figure it out when I get there."

"I'd say I look forward for it, but I'm not." I joked.

Again, there was silence.

"Look, dad. Are you sure it's okay that I'd stay there? I mean.." She said, her tone took a forlorn edge.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it's okay, sweetheart! I was simply kidding, Isabella." My oversensitive daughter; as if it wasn't clear that I wanted her to be here with me. "Do you think I really care about what they would say?"

"I suppose..." She mumbled, but I heard a smile on her voice.

"Well then, I'll leave you to pack now. I still need to talk to your uncle Stefan about things. You know, your room and all that. I'll let him buy those girly room decors I saw on Home Deco. You'd like that."

"Ugh, no." She muttered. "Anyway, you're right. I still have loads of things to pack up. So I'll just see you tomorrow then?"

I smiled. "Yes. Bright and early morning."

She giggled. "I love you, daddy."

My eyes turned soft. "I love you too, sweetheart."

When she hangs up, I glanced at Stefan and he met my gaze.

"Don't you dare say anything just yet. They'll know tomorrow."

He nodded.

As expected, they began talking about the phone call which they'd been eavesdropping on. I looked at their disbelieving expressions with amusement. Apparently they caught the end of the conversation where I dropped the L-bomb. _Of course._

I stood up and headed towards their table. "Now, now Ric." I interjected as I heard him exclaiming his incredulity. "It's not nice to talk about other people's business, isn't it?"

I dodged and ignored the perplexed (and amusement, coming from my dear brother) looks shot towards me. Instead, I piloted Stefan out. We did need to have a discussion about the arrival of my daughter. And of course, there's her room to decorate... I'll leave that to him.

My figlia was finally coming home.


End file.
